A new study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research suggests that wearing compression shorts during a long-distance race may provide greater recovery benefits than wearing them only after exercise. Researchers found that trail runners who wore compression garments during a 26-kilometer race experienced better post-race muscle performance and showed lower levels of a biomarker associated with muscle damage compared with runners who did not wear compression garments.

“This was a really interesting study because it challenged the common assumption that compression garments should primarily be used during recovery,” said Julia Farid, MS, CPT, CES, exercise physiologist at HSS Rehabilitation and Performance in West Palm Beach, who was not involved in the research. While the findings were limited to trail runners, Farid said endurance athletes, hikers, and others may consider trying compression garments during training. “The main takeaway isn’t that everyone should run out and buy these garments,” she noted, “but based on this study, everything seemed completely safe.”

Read the full article at outsideonline.com.